Resilient tire.



Patented May 7,1918. V 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented May 7, 1918.

. E. ANDREW.

RESIUENT TIRE. 4 APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. EQIP: RENEWED SEPT.30. |916.hw,

- `[ZV VEN T OR ina inenten.

4Jlpplication tiled February 913, i912, Serial No. 679,333 RenewedSeptember 30, wie.

.To all 'who/mit may concern:

I Be it ltnown that li, lWiLnaM E. Annul-1w, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Atlantic Highlands, inthe county of Monmouth andState o'f'llew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvementsin Resilient Tires, of which the tollowing;r is a s'lieciiication,reference being had therein 'to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to vehicle tires and particularly to the classthereof which embraces pneun'iaticA tires.

A primary object of my invention'is to produce a structure Which ispractically puncture and leakage-proof.

Another object of 'he invention is to construct a pneumatic tire Whichincludes certain components of comparatively simple torni but. adaptedto be aggrouped .on a wheel with great facility; and, which when oncesecured to the telly of the wheel,Y is maintained thereon not onlyfirmly but in a ymanner that will prevent rim-cutting7 non' acommon'defect in tires on the market.

The present invention is, in one aspect, an improvement upon thestructure disclosed in United States Letters Patent granted to ine onNovember l-lth, l91l,as No. 1,008,772'. The present structure includescertain of the components disclosed in said patent; and the improvementresides principally in certain features, among,Y whichis the particularmanner of securing the tire-shoe to the i'elly. An important differencebetween. the present structure and that of the patent is that, in lieuof employing a supplemental ringl to be-attached to the telly and whichis housed largely within the shoe, continue the telly itself up into theinner portion of the tire and thus obviate the use of a supplementalring. Another important ditterence is that the present construction "is,as distinguished from my patented pneumatic tire, essentially not of theclencher type; \\'herei"ore, the surface ot' the telly to which the shoeis to be attached may be of large dimensional arca, thereby producing agreater bearing-surface for the shoe and giving it a load-carryingcapacity., In consequence, a greater loal and strainv can beSpecification of Lettersratent.

borne, and an enlarged air-capacity is rendered possible withoutnecessity of ei'ilarging the exterior oif the shoe, and this is due tothe tact that the heel of theA 'tire is materially spread, incross-section.. By reason ot these advantageous features of difference,with the advantages which laccrue therefrom, my Apresent tire has Widerrange of use, and Aits durability is, l tind, considerably increased.

1With these and other objects in View, the invention. resides, in oneaspect, in the following components aggrouped in a manner to beexplained more in detail presently, but

which components consist principally oi' a felly,`a Jtelly-bami suitablymounted upon the shoe-engaging;r surface of the telly, and bands orplates suitably secured to the ielly and provided with shoe-holding`enlargements or rnfojections, a shoe having a tread of broadground-contacting surface and relatively reduced between the tread andthe portion or portions secured to the telly and so termed as'toin'ovide a chamber of fireatl 'air-carryini;y capacity, and means forattac ing the shoe to the telly.

The invention resides, further, in the novel combination and arrangementof the parts, in their peculiar iorm and construction, and in the meansfor maintaining 'them in proper operative relation, all as more fullyhereinafter described and claimed.

ln the accon'ipanying drawings, vvnicl'i are intended to illustrate, tothose skilled in the related art, some of the many possible utilizationsof my invention, it being` manifest that other possible utilisations andembodiments which employ the underlying principles oi my invention andfalling within. the spirit thereof and the objects contemplated therebymay be adopted.

Figure 1 is a'view in perspective of a section ot' a tire illustrativeof one embodiment ot' my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section of the same on a somewhat largerscale; A,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in plan,v more [nnticularly illustratingthe form of the tread-surface of the shoe;

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 show several modificatitl tions of the structure,these modifications residing, principally, in the form of the base ofthe shoe and the form of the felly with which the shoe-base engages andis held;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in perspective, partly in section, oftheyielding tread- "band,-

` band with .an asbestos-fabric band-cover;

These plates,

` n n n u Fig. 12 is a similar view showing the asbestos-fabricband-cover extending around the edges of the felly band.

Referring to the drawings, and partlcularly to the embodiment thereofillustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the numeral 1 designates a felly of thevehicle-wheel which preferably is of wood, though, for my purposes, itmay be constructed of any other appropriate material. l

The felly is preferably and as shown of greater width than thickness.Preferably, and as shown, the shoe-engaging portion of the felly is, ateach side, formed with a circumferential inout 2 to provide a transversebearing-surface 3 and-an angular contactsurface l, the function of eachof which surfaces will be presently explained.

0n the outer surface of the felly, and held on said felly in anydesirable manner which will insure its being lirmly'secured thereto, isa felly-band 5, which preferably, and as shown,'is of a width greaterthan the bandengaging surface 6 of the felly.

Suitably secured, as by bolts 7, to each side of the felly is aside-band or plate 8, thevupper. portion of which extends some- .whatabove the bearing-surface 3 and toa point where its upper edge will beapproximately in alinement with the felly-band 5. are, on their innerupper portion, as at 9, preferably rounded outwardly.

-Disposed to engage the inner face of the upper portion of the side-band8, and intermediate of its -upper edge and the bearinge surface 3, is ahalf-round ring 10. If desired, this ring may element, or in sections. Iprefer to make it separate lfrom and non-integral with the plate 8; butit is within the sprit of my invention to form said ring as shown and tosecure the same to the plate 8 in any suitable manner. l

Adapted to be secured, in a'manner presently to be described, upon thefelly 1 is a Preferably, and as shown, this within a short be formed asa single shoe is, in cross-section, of relatively greater width than isits height, whereby an approximately elliptical form of chamber 12 isformed, and within which any preferred form of air-tube 13 is housed.

The shoe is fabricated in a particular manner, as I shall now describe:In the first place, it comprises a plurality of layers of fabricembedded in therubber, arranged in two or more groups 11 and 15. Thesefabric-layers extend, say, across the treadportion 16 of the shoe;thence downwardly and at a particular point, as at a, are divided, thegroup marked 14 forming the inner wall of the shoe, and .extendinginwardly projecting brace portion 17, said brace-portion,

on each side, extending to distance of the center of the plate 5, asshown. I may, however, so form the brace-portion 17 at each side as topermit the lsections to be united or overlapped at the center when inposition on the fellyband 5. The fabric-layers 14 continue alon andaround the edges of the felly-band 5 and downwardly and parallel withthe angular or inclined contact-surface 4; thence outwardly and parallelwith the bearingsurfaee 3; thence upwardly, the Vfabric being curved toform a concav'ity 18 to receive the ring 10, and whereby the base of theshoe is engaged; this structurally forming a holding device for theshoe. The said group of fabric-layers 14 continue upwardly and end inthe rubberl at a point somewhat removed from the upper end of theside-plate 8.' The outel-.group of layers, 15, extend downwardly to formthe outer wall of the shoe and, at the point a, extend downwardly on theinside of the other group 14; thence upwardly in parallel relation tothe contactsurface l, around the felly-band 5, and end in the rubberabove said band 5.

Formed in the base-portion, between the layers 14 and 15, below thepoint at which they divide at a', is a circumferentially-extending strip19 of hard but not necessarily non-yielding material. This strip-and itwill be understood, of course, that there is one at each side of theshoe-serves to strengthen the base-portion of the shoe and, also, toform a rigid holding portion disposed between the felly-band 5 and thering 10. To this end, the strips 19 are preferably provided with acircumferential-groove 19a on their inner side, and with a curvedsurface 19b toward their lower outer edge adjacent the rings 10.-

From the foregoing, it will now be seen that the 'lowermost portion 20of the baser cipally,

taeaoee and-is thereby further maintained in posiltionfthe brace-portion17 overlying and resting upon the band which, thus, forms a supporttherefor.

As will be obvious by reference to Figs. l and 2, the brace-portions 17,by reason ot' the tact that they present a large contacting-surfaceagainst the telly-band, and as they extend nearly, it not entirely tocach other, constitute aprotector for the lower portion of vthe airtube;furthermore, they the dual function ot supporting a portion ot the shoeu pon the telly.; and, moreover, they serve the principal support for'the shoe and act, also, as an abutment tor the shoe, by engaging theband 5, in the event that the line ot strain -on the tire be at an angleto a line drawn vertically through the central portion of the telly andtire, and relieites the lower part ot' the base-portion romstrain. 'lhislower part serves prinin conjunction with the rings and other describedparts, as the holding portion for the tire. 'l`he telly-band 5, byreason ot the fact that itsl edges project beneath said l vbrace-portion17 and somewhat body of the base-portion, constitutes a, hold into theing device tor the shoe, also.

lin Figs. 4, 5, (l, and 7, the holding and supporting-portions ot thetelly and shoe are illustrated in somewhat modified Jform, and thesemodifications will now be briefly described 1 Referring to Fig'. fl, itwill be seen that the telly, instead of being formed with an inouthaving a laterally extending bearingsurtace and an inwardly-inchnedcontact nageur-face, as shown in Fig. l, is provided with aninwardly-inclined bearing-surface 22 and with an upperoutwardlyextending contacting-surface 23. 'l` he fabricated part of thebase-portion of the shoe is similarly formed as in Fig. l. ln thisinstance, the contacting-surtace 23,' by reason of its angle,- serves asan additional holdingr surface.

In Fig. 5, .the incut 2 in the upper portion of the telly presents alaterally extend- Iing flat surface 24 and a rounding contacting-surface 25' which, by reason ot its` contour, will serve much thesame purpose as the angularly-formed incut 2 in Fig. 2. 'li` hefabricated portion of the shoe is, in this instance, as in Fig. 4,substantially the same as described with reference to Fig. 1.

ln Fig. (l, incut 2 ot Fig. 1 but the upper portieri of said-telly isprovided with an inwardly-extending contacting-surface 26 which,` by

f reason of the fact that its upper portion is `somewhat further removedfrom the edges the telly is not'formed with the` gum ot' the telly-band5, forms, with said band, a holding as well as a contacting-surface. Inthis 1nstance,'as in the others already explained, the fabricatedportion of the base of the shoe substantially corresponds with that inFig. 1. y.

ln Fig. 7, the modification is somewhat more radical, in that the incutsin the upper portion ol' the telly are more pronounced to provide a widebearing surface 27 upon which an auxiliary telly-band 28 is applied.rlihe incut also presents an upwardly and out\'ardly-incline'dcontacting-surface, 29, as shown. ln this instance, the hard reinforcingla rger than those in the other embodiments. ii/loreover, the rings 1()are preferably disposed at or adjacent to the upper end of thesideplates S andpractically in alinement with the main telly-band 5.This embodiment is o'lsneh form that it has the necessary attributes ot'the so-called clenrher,

type ot tire, and, in consc pience, a clencher torni ot tire, otordinary construction, could be utilized in connection with thisembodiment.

. lt is a feature ot my construction that the tread-portimi l() ottheshoe is ot substantial width alulthiekness and for the followingreasons: ln the tirst place l. desire to have it present a broadgrounil-contacting surt'ace, and in substantial parallelism with thesupporting-surface ot' the telly-band 5 and the bearinir-surtaceI 3 otthe circumferential ineut in the telly. ln'other Words, it is adesideratum of my inventionto maintain the tread-portion ot the shoe atall times substantially parallel with the supporting-surface of thetelly-band 5 and the bearingysurtaee 25, whereby a supportingsurface,tor the entire shoe of relatively great dimensional area is presented.As a medium to maintain the tread-portion in a substantially uniformcondition while in contact with the ground, and also to protect not onlythe tread-portion against puncture but also to protect the air-tube 13,I interpose between said air-tube and the treadportion 16 a band 31 otappropriate and yieldingmaterial, such steel or the like. llret'erably,and as shown, the band 31 is ot substantial width and greater than thatof the telly-band ltsthickness will be governed by the consideration ofthe amount the tire is to have and, also, ot' the weight. The band 31 ispreferably' incased in a fabric 32. F or :reasons presently'to beexplained, l may, in some instances, surround the band ll-either withits covering 32 or without this-with an envelop 33 of asbestos or thelike. T his is to protect the entire structure from the heat which mayhe absorbed by the metal of of resiliency which 4 I 16 of the shoe isthe band 31, wherefore not only thel surface which is engaged by theband 31 but the inner tube 15 is prevented from being affected by theheat of the band.

Embracing the .felly band 5 and interposed between its upper surface andthe air-tube 13 is a. Cover b (Figs. 11 and 12) of non-conductingmaterial, such as asbestos. By this cover Z) the lower part of the tirestructure, and particularly the inner tube 13, is proteeted from theheat which may be absorbed by and radiating from the metal of the fellyba'nd 5. l

The easing or covering 32of the tread band 31 is preferably stitched orotherwise secured contiguous at the edges of the band and extendssomewhat beyond the stitching so as to provide'side-extensions 32aadapted to extend along the inner walls of the shoe and constituting aprotector for the air-tube 13, as shownin Fig. 1.Y I may, as shown inFig. 10, form the extensions 32a so as to extend a. considerabledistance down the inner IWalls of the shoe and may, if desired, continuethe same down to the brace-portions 17. To recevethe band 3l, thetread-portion provided vwith a flat inner surface 34 and withside-grooves 35X. The band is of such dimensions, both widthwise andcircumferentially, that it'will, by its rcsiliency, be held firmlyseated at all times in the position in the shoe thus provided for itsreception. By this arrangement, the treadband 31 is confined, and, byreason of its position within the shoe and its strength, it is adaptedto support. the tread-portion of the shoe in normal condition even inthe event that there be no air within the chamber 12. functions. Inaddition to those already stated, it has the. important function ofmaintaining the tread-portion in a substantially rigid form so that theground-contacting surface of the tread is maintained in ,proper parallelrelation at all times with the fellyband 5 and with the bearing-surface3 of the folly l; hence, any angular contact with the ground-surfacewill not distort the broad ground-contacting surface of the tread, but,0n the contrary, the band will maintain this atall times in asubstantially flat condition with respect to the band, that is in auniform surface-condition, Freferably, and as yshown, the lthinnestportion of the shoe, in cross-section, is practically midway betweenthe-tread-band 31 and the folly-band 5 so that the shoes yieldingportion would be at points between the two bands 5 and 31.

The ground-contacting surface of the tread-portion of the shoe may be,and preferably is, formed so as to prevent, so far as possible, anyskidding of the vehicle. To this end, I provide said ground-contacting4market, I have y The band, therefore, has several surface with aplurality of cross-grooves 35, eaCh of which is formed withsubstantially alined side-sections 35 and angularI central sections 351meeting at the central )ortion of the tread to form a section 35"'. thisarrangement of the sections of the groove, I provide angulatedengaging'walls, at least one of which will be at a substantial angle toany slidingmovement of the the ground, thereby creating a substantialholding instrumentality to prevent slipping and skidding. The portions3G of the treadsurface between the grooves Aprovide solid and angulatedcross-sections. The treadband 31 tends to maintain these cross-sectionsin proper engaging position whereby they perform their intended functionto prevent slipping and skidding. In the so-called anti-skiddingAsurfaced tires now on the observed that the ridges or projections orraised knobs formed thereon or indentations .formed therein augment,rather than prevent. the slipping or skidding, by reason of the factthat they roll or twist, and, instead of presenting abutments to engagethe ground, tend rather to present the tire-surface in a condition toslip or skid.,

By reason of my peculiar construction, no rolling or twisting of thetread-surface .is possible. On the contrary, the engaging abu'tmentsformed by the cross-sections 36 are constantly maintained inposition'and eondifinn to `prevent slipping or skidding.

By the particular and peculiar relative aggroupmentfof the components ofmy construction and the particular manner of connecting them, I haveproduced a` construction which promotes a localization of the yield ingcapacity of the tire; that is to say, the yielding will, by reason ofsaid aggroupment and connection of the components, be centralized at adesirable point intermediate 0f the tread and the points of attachmentof the slice to the felly. To this end, I have extended, to anappreciable degree. the width of the tread, and in doing this, I amgoverned largely by the desire to initially form the same so that itwill substantially correspond to the extent that the ordinary tire isflattened out on the tread-surface when in running position. Thus, Iincrease the airearrying capacity of the tire, and this results not onlyfrom the enlargement of the tread, but also from the particular forma.-tion of the base of the shoe. Finally, I so relate the tread and thebase and so form the portions of the shoe intermediate of these that theyielding and carrying eapacity of the shoe is considerably increased;and, at the same time. by reason of the fact that the line of strainwill be substantially on the line mum, Fig. 2, the pressure exerted willbe equalized at all portions of shoe upon iaeaoae the tread withreference .to the baseportion of the shoe and, by reason of the factthat the portion of the shoe between the tread and the base-portion isparticularly constructed to yield, the. expanded portion of the tirewill at all times be centralized between the tread and the shoe;wherefore three defects now found to exist in presentday structures areobviated, namely, rim-cut ting, hlow-outs and puncturing. The positionand function of the treadband, with reference to the folly, is such thatit causes the line of strain to be at one side of the ends of said bandand through the sidewalls of the shoe, and against one or another of thea iovedescribed surfaces formed on the side of the felly. ,is a result,the shoe caused to yield between the .surface of `the tread-band andthat of the folly, and at no point which would be intermediate vof thelength of said tread-band, this latter element serving to maintain thetread-portion in substantially its normal coi'idition7 except in sofax-'as the portion of the tread,

being formed of resilient material. yields slightly when in contact withthe ground.

From the foregoing, it will be perceived that l have succeeded indevising a pneu matic tire adapted to achieve the several ohjects andends in view. The structure is simple, is compact in form, and ispurticularly well suited for automobile tires.

lt will be understood that the language used in the follmving claims isintended to cover all of the generic and specific features ot' theinvention whichy as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetwet-in.

As many changescan be made in the above construction other than thoseherein suggested and as many apparently widely dilfeii'ent embodimentsof this invention can be made without departing from the scope thereof,it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing descriptionand shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what claim and desire to secure by4letterslPat ent isi i. fi tiresecuring structure including incombination, a folly formed with a plurality of substantiallyiiatshoe-erxfging surfaces arranged in angular relation, some of saidsurfaces being cut to aline one with the other at opposite sides of thefeliy and adapted to support the shoe while others converge upwardly andthereby operate to retain it, a folly-band on the 'felly of less widththan the telly and having edges projected beyond the upper surface ofthe felly,.a shoe formerY with a base-portion having its innermost surfaces converging toward the telly-band to Contact with and be retainedby said tellysurfaces and the folly-band, cooperative. means mounted onthe felly and engaging said base-portion to retain the shoe movably inposition; and a spacing and reinforcing element interposed between saidmeans and the projecting edges of the folly-band.

2. A tiresecuring structure including in combination, a felly providedwith independently-formed bearing and contacting-surfaces cut at anobtuse angle, a shoe having .a base formed with a plurality ofbraceportions adapted to' overlie the telly, with a bearingportionadapted to engage one of the aforementioned felly-surfaces, and with acontactingportion arranged at an obtusel angle to the bearing portionand engaging another of the telly-surfaces, means for securing thebase-portion to the. telly, and a rigid holdingelement formed in theshoebase and disposed between the felly and said securing means.

A tire-securing structure including in combination, a telly providedwith independently-formed bearing' and leontacting-surfaces cutat anobtuse angle, a shoe having a base formed with a plurality ofbrace-portions adapted to overlie the felly, with a l'iearing-portionengaging one of the aforo mentioned fcllyeurfaces, and with aconducting-surface arranged at an obtuse angle correspondingto that ofthe surfaces of the telly and engaging another of the felly-surfaces.ymeans for securing the base-portion to the folly-including a pluralityof sidefclamp ingA bands and a holding-ring arranged in juxtaposition toone of the clamping-bands and operatively engaging the baseportion of.the shoe, and a holding element interposedI between the felly and theholding-ring.

4. A. tire-securin, structure including in combination, a fellly formedwith bearing surfaces and with shoe-contacting surfaces diagonallydisposed with relation to the bearing surfaces, a felly-band adapted tobe secured to the telly andhaving its edges overhangingI the diagonalContactin surfaces, a casing-member having a base ormed with portionsadapted to engage said bear- 'ing surfaces and With portions arranged atan obtuse angle tothe engaging portions and conforming to that of thetelly and adapted to engage said contacting surfaces and also theoverhanging portions of the telly-band, means for securing thecasing-member to the telly including clamping bands and a retaining ringinterposed between each clamping band and the contacting surfaces of thefolly, and a spacing strip interposed between each retaininlp,r ring andthe corresponding overhanging edge'v of the telly-band.

A tire-securing structure including in combination, a felly formed withapproximately flat hearing surfaces and with anguformed on one sidewith@ recess in which 10 lated shoe-contacting surfaces, a substantheretaining ring is normally seated, :1nd :1 tially flat metallictelly-band on the elly protecting element engaginof the felly-bmid.

and overhanging the contacting surfaces, In testimony whereof I aix mysignature 5 metallic clamping-bands attached to the in presence of twowitnesses.

felly, a metallic retaining ring connected to WILLIAM E. ANDREW.

each clamping band, a casing member pro- Witnesses:

vided With a plurality of contacting surfaces A. M. PARKINS,

adapted t0 be attached to the felly and each EDMUND H. PARRY.

